John M. Koenig, former US Ambassador to Cyprus, has launched a fierce attack on both the Trump 2.0 administration and former Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, in a recent post on Substack.
Koenig criticised former diplomatic colleagues for continuing to serve under what he described as a “predatory“ regime that undermines democracy, suppresses free speech, and weakens international institutions. Addressing senior diplomats directly, he questioned how they could maintain personal integrity while representing such a government.
Reflecting on his turbulent tenure in Cyprus (2012–2015), Koenig revealed that his relationship with Anastasiades had been particularly strained. Tensions peaked in 2015 when Anastasiades visited Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, violating the EU’s diplomatic freeze on high-level contact with Russia following the Ukraine crisis.
Koenig stated he had tried to dissuade Anastasiades from the trip, warning against Cyprus’s growing reliance on Russian capital. During the same visit, Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov was assassinated, further deepening diplomatic tensions. In response, Koenig posted a pointed message on Twitter urging Cyprus to “choose its friends wisely”- a comment that triggered outrage among Anastasiades’s allies and pro-Russian circles on the island.
Koenig writes:
“Until February 2015, we had fairly productive but often tense relations with Anastasiades, whom I considered a fraud and a blabbermouth. I had worked with him, the UN, Turkey, Greek Cypriots, and Turkish Cypriots on the Joint Declaration of February 2014, which launched the last round of Cyprus talks. I had also helped organise US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Cyprus, during which Biden spent considerable time with Anastasiades. Anastasiades didn’t like me; he would sometimes glare at me theatrically in his office.
Nonetheless, I was able to do my job- or so I thought.”
After the fallout from the Moscow trip, Koenig admits that his position in Cyprus became untenable, leading to his departure in July 2015. He emphasises, however, that he left with his personal dignity intact.
In closing, Koenig warned that the ethical crisis facing today’s US diplomats under Trump’s leadership is even deeper- and he called on those who wish to remain true to democratic principles to consider resignation.
Also read: US Ambassador welcomes progress on trust-building in Cyprus
